Marie Gelang

Towards a Political Actio

Based on a rhetorical, cognitive and contextual view of nonverbal communication this paper will examine the actio of politicians in relation to the concept of ethos and its possible argumentative dimensions of the nonverbal communication of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in their contest for the 2008 American Democratic presidential nomination. Focus will be on the qualities of nonverbal communication, such as energy and tempo, and how they can create meaning and credibility in the communication between the debaters and their audience.

The changing ethos and personae of shop-window mannequins within consumer culture: Expressions of gendered embodiment

In this article, the invention of new forms of desire that target the gendered body in consumer culture is examined through the lens of the visual rhetoric of shop-window mannequins. The article is a result of cross-disciplinary research combining rhetorical and sociological theories and methods. Inspired by nonverbal methods and theories of embodiment, successive modernities and gender, the changing ethos and personae of mannequins from the 1930s until today are decoded. The shop window could be seen as a microcosm of consumer culture and is, therefore, interesting to study over time to unveil its shifting ideals. The empirical data consist of over 1000 pictures of window displays. Questions that are asked in analysing the empirical material are the following: (1) What ethos and personae do the shop-window mannequins nonverbally express? (2) How do the ethos and personae they nonverbally express change during the transformation of modernity? and (3) Are there any differences between the ethos and personae nonverbally expressed by the male and female mannequins, as well as within each gender? In the two first sections, a theoretical understanding of the concepts of ethos and persona as forms of embodiment that emerge through the interaction between the shop-window mannequins and the consumer is developed. In the third section, the empirical technique that has been used to capture the ethos and personae expressed by the shop-window mannequins is treated. In the fourth section, the notion of successive modernities is introduced, as the study aims to observe the transformation of the ethos and personae of male and female shop-window mannequins during the course of modernity. Also a gender perspective is added as the observation shows differences between and within each gender category. In the fifth section, the result of the analysis of the empirical materials is presented.

Kairos, the Rhythm of Timing

Within Rhetoric there is a wide and complex variety of concepts used to explore and discuss our societies´ different discursive phenomenon. When analysing speakers nonverbal communication, the concept of Kairos have distinguished it selves as more important than others. The concept is trying to make clear and explain some of the processes that at times can seem inconceivable with our nonverbal communication. Kairos and Kronos were the two Greek terms used to refer to time. Kronos was used when referring to measured time; like hours, minutes and so on. Kairos had a more qualitative, interpreting, cultural-based meaning. The concept of kairos captures the process that can be so difficult to comprehend when everything crystallizes to exactly the right moment for someone to act or speak, or both. The primary focus in the article is on explaining how the concept of kairos can help us to understand the sense of timing in our nonverbal communication. One of the aspects that are important for kairos is the sense of rhythm that develops in a situation. A speaker with a good sense of rhythm can come across as very persuasive. In order for kairos to happen someone has to know or believe that he knows that “now” is the time to act. It is an understanding that doesn’t come by itself but demands an active and aware speaker. The speaker has to be aware of the ongoing creativity in the situation, the creativity that charge the sequence with the tension between what is possible and what is not, and does this every time. So, whether kairos appears “now” depends on a range of reflections over a number of ongoing processes in the context, one of them, I mean, relates to rhythm.